This invention relates to medical diagnosis, and more particularly, to an ear clip that allows a medical measuring device to be attached to an ear lobe.
Modern medicine today is driven by miniaturization and non-invasive and minimally invasive methods for surgery, examination, diagnosis and and/or monitoring. There is a desire to make examination and treatment faster and cheaper. The use of non-invasive techniques reduces pain for the patient and reduces risk of infection.
Patient monitoring is a key aspect of modern medicine. Monitors of different types are available for monitoring different body functions and parameters. Such monitors interact with the body to receive and data concerning the body functions for processing.
Blood monitoring devices are conveniently affixed to the earlobe. Most typically this is accomplished with a clip. This clip may be a type of spring clip, wherein the jaws of the clip are forced together by a spring to attach to the earlobe. When levers of extending from the two jaws past an axle are pinched together, the jaws may be separated, thereby releasing the ear lobe, so that the clip can be removed. When pressure forcing these levers together is released, the spring draws the jaws together, to grip the earlobe.
A problem with this basic clip design is that the separation between the closed jaws is not precisely determined. Consequently, the basic clip is not suitable for applications which require a precisely determined jaw separation. Furthermore, if the pressure is too tight, it may flatten capillaries and adversely affect the blood flow and other blood related parameters that are being monitored. A clip should firmly engage the ear-lobe without squeezing it sufficiently to affect the readings.
Many non-invasive medical monitoring devices need to be reliably attached to the body so that accurate readings may be taken. These devices sometimes need to be adjusted to the individual body.
In the case of devices that are attached to the earlobe, some devices require that the distance between the sensing elements be adapted to the individual thickness of the earlobe of the patient. Such devices are also required to easily open and close for attaching and releasing the clip from the ear lobe. For diagnostic reliability, the manufacturing tolerances are high, and parts have to be manufactured to high precision.
With moving parts, particularly where several different independent movements take place at the same time in a small device and the required precision is very high, for example ±5 microns in position, whilst maintaining jaw parallelism common production standards of around 100 microns are insufficient. Thus, for accurate measurements, there is a need for a reliable ear clip that can be accurately fitted to a patient's ear lobe with a known but adjustable jaw separation. Such a clip is required to be reliable and easily mass produced.